Manufacture of cartridge-cases of brass or other alloys of copper.



H. EHRHARDT. MANUFACTURE OF GARTBIDGE CASES OF BRASS OR OTHER ALLOYS 0? GOP? APPLICATION FILED DEO.15,1905.

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iNVEMTEF1 HEINRICH EHRHILRDT, 01 QUSSE-Iabx METALLVJ'AAREN- U333) MASQ" GERMANY, 1 COR-PDRELTION OE GERiLLzLI ASSIGNOR T RHEINISCHE OE DUSSELZ?QRF-DERENDSYELF,

THANUFACTUEE Bl CARTBIEGE- 2* S QTHER ALLOYS, OF (ICE-PEER.

1,924,84Q. v Ipe To afl whom it may concern: I l or rolled outward for forming the Be it known that 1,}m1xaicn i lnaiunnr, run. .zLll some cases the plate, before being 55 engineer, a subject of the German lir'peron' conrerted to the cylindrical form, is speresiding at 20 Reichsstrasse, Dusseldorf, cialh Worked at its middle portion corre- 5 Germany, have invented certain new 111 mending to the subsequent base, in order useful Improvements in the Manufacture o obtain at the requisite points, such as. of Cartridge-Cases of Brass or other Alloys t iose above mentioned, the necessary so 60 .of Copper; and I do herehydeclare the fole unulations of material, the upsetting of lowing to be a full, clear, and exact (lest-rip the TH rim of the flat plate into the cy- 10 tion of the invention, such as will enable lindrical form being onlyafterwardetlected. others skilled in the art to which it apper- According to the present invention there tains to make and use the same. is produced from the wrought metal plate 65 The manufacture of cartridge ascs both by a single pressing operation a c 3 31331321- for infantry ammunition and particularly tively long hollowcylindrical bod with for cartridge cases for ordnance, of brass or base, which body by this singlet'orging opother similar alloys of copper, is generally eration, at once receives a base profile, in effected in such manner that a round plate Which in the first instance there exist at the 70 stamped from a rolled bar of the metal and preriouslv determined points the necessary of essentially larger diameter than that accumuh ions of material, without causing which the finished cartridge case pos esses. the thickness at the other parts of the base is transformed by means of known so-called to exceed the final dimensions to a greater stamping and drawingproccsses oralso rollex ent than is requisite for the subsequent 7 ing processes in the cold way, into a short illllmilllg operations. Also, the thickness of hollow body which is the initial product for the directly formed cylindrical Wall cointhe cartridge case, to be further approximately with .the necessary from the same drawing or rolli tests of the base at the thinnest part. order to obtain with the thus tonne cntly, as compared with the method 0 that is, the prclin'iinary short hollow hoe forming from a plate there is also the requisite material in the liaise for a saving: in the additional necessary (lacing the required sectional r operations. The transformation, the plate must in the r solo ding to the above described method, is comparatively thick, that is thicker than 1' red possible by the employment of a 85 would he necessurv if. :t'or in, only vthe Sol d l ck of cylindrical Or other {His cylindi Jill part of the case re: 1ired to be inoiolal form Whose diagonal or diameter is formed and no base required to he cons mailer th n, 01 at mOSt as large as the di- I l r 14mm "151% "inter ft th t l 1 ll t h men. n paiticua a ccnsiueraxne 11:1,. an or J1. 11L 1a 10 ow body 0 ,e

ness is required, for exan'iplc, the cenformed heretroni. The conversion of this 90 tral deton ator chamber, which the present solid block effected While it is in a state time often requires to he made at cc idea of red heat, in which the material is consid- 40 able height and width For more, a conerahl more plastic than in the cold condisiderahlc thickness also has to provided tion. in the basic in order that at tl it is to he understood that the term pris- '95 the plate has to be bent up moidal as employed by me is used in a gethe case a su'llicient amount e sense to include the usual prisms and shall exist. At this point. or upon the enalso a cylinder, the latter being considered tire base, a certain quantity of ma fal in mathematical sense as a prism having in addition, required, in particular tor an infinite number of sides. 100 tridg'e cases for ordnance in most cases in the accompanying drawing Figure l the present day. Where the cartridge case 1 shows vertical section of a finished carits finished condition puss a sulliciei trid for ordnance with the formed strong outx'vard projecting rim. The mat base and rim. 2 shows the cartridge rial for this rim. must he provided in tl e casein the stage before the condition at Fig. 10

' to l k 1 first instance in the base, in order ie 1, that is, it only requires the pressing or rolling out of the rim in order to obtain from the form in Fig. 2 that in Fig. 1. In Fig. 2 the large detonator chamber a and an annular accumulation of material b is provided at the base. Figs. 3 and 4 show in elevation and plan the solid initial blocks, the first being of square shape with rounded corners, while the latter shows the block in the form of a cylindrical section. Fig. 5 shows the matrix 0 and the mandrel or die at in their relative positions aicer the initial hollow body ehas just been pressed. The.

prismatic initial block is shown dotted in this figure. The detonator chamber which is formed directly by the pressing operation, is again designated by a and the accumulation of material for the rim to be formed later by b, C is the cylindrical part which is subsequently drawn out cold in the known way so as to be reduced in thickness.

I am aware that it has also been proposed to manufacture cartridge cases by pressure by subjecting a block of metal placed within a die to the action of a punch whereby the metal is forced up in the space between the die and punch which are dimensioned so as to leave an interspace corresponding in thickness to the socket case and I do not claim such a mode 01 manufacture generally as part of my invention, according to which the blank is pressed whenat a red heat to form the base of the cartridge withthickened parts at the required places in a single operation.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:

'1. The improved process or manufactun ing tubular bodies from substantially iron free alloys of copper and zinc, which. consists in preliminarily forging by compres sion while at a red heat and finishing by drawing while cold,

2. The improved process of manufacturin cartrid e cases from substantiallv iron U .1

free alloys of copper and zinc, which consists 1n compressing a solid mass of the wrought metal while hot in a matrix to form a-eupshaped body and then finishing by drawing.

3. The improved process of manufacturing cartridge cases from substantially iron free alloys of copper and zinc, which consists in compressing a solid mass of the metal while red hot in a matrix to form a cup-shaped body with an excess of material at the base, and then finishing by drawing.

4. The improved process of manufacturing cartridge cases from substantially iron free alloys of copper and Zinc, which consists in compressing a solid mass oi. the metal while at a red heat in a matrix to form a cup-shaped body having an amountot' material at the base suiiicient to supply noeeseo the flange and walls of the detonator charm, ber, and then drawing when cool to form the attenuated walls ot the case.

The improved process of manufacturing cartridge cases from substantially iron free alloys of copper and zinc, which consists in compressing by means ofa die a solid mass of the material at a red heat in a matrix having a diameter great as that of the heated metal to form a cup-shaped body having a base with a profile corresponding generally with that of thefinished case but with an excess of material sufiicient to supply the flange and detonator chamber, and then drawing when cool to form the attenuated walls of the case.

6. The improved process of manufacturing cartridge cases, which consists in compressing a solid mass of brass containing no more than 35% of zinc while hot in a matrix to form a cup-shaped body, and then drawing when cool.

7. The improved process of manufacturing cartridge cases which consists in forcing a solid mass of an iron-free alloy of copper and zinc while red hot into a matrix having an interior diameter sufficient to receive the mass to form. a cup shaped body having an excess of material at the base to supply the flange and walls of the detonator chamber, and then drawing while cold to form the walls of the case.

8. The process of forming cartridge cases of brass or other alloys of copper and zinc which consists in bringing to a red heat a solid block of the wrought material, the diamcter of which does not exceed the desired diameter of the finished product, then drop forging the heated block to the form of a cupshaped body having a base of the desired thickness with an annular flange and "walls which are slightly thicker than the walls of the finished article, then permitting the cupshapcd body to cool, and. then drawing out the walls to the requisite length and thickness and rolling out the annular rib on the base to form the rim. 4

9. The process of making cartridge cases, which consists in forming a prismoidal blank of cartridge metal consisting of copper and zinc the maximum diameter of which does not exceed the diameter of the iii seed product, heating said blank red-hot, and while red-hot pressing said blank bctween dies into a cylindrical cup-shaped body having a downward extending flange at its bottom, then cooling said mctal,drawing out the walls of the cup-slnipcd body to form the walls of the cartridge case, and forcing the ilownward-cxtcnding flange outward radially to form the rim of the car tridgc.

101 The process of making cartridge cases, which consists in forming a blank of cartridge metal consisting of copper and zinc,

and while red-hot, forging said blank be tween dies into a cup-shaped body having a downward-extending cylindrical flange at.

' its bottom and a projection to form a detonator chamber, then cooling said metal, drawing out the walls of the cup-shaped body to form the walls of the cartridge case, and then finishing the base.

11. The process ofmaking cartridge cases, which consists in forming a prismoidal blank of cartridge metal consisting of copper-and zinc, the maximum diameter of said blank being not substantially greater than the diameter of the finished cartridge case, heating said blank red-hot, and while redhot pressing said metal between dies into-a cylindrical cup-shaped body having a downward-extending cylindrical flange at its bottom and a projection to form a detonator chamber, then cooling said metal drawing out the walls of the cup-shaped body to form the walls of the cartridge case and finishing the base.

12. The process of making cartridge cases, which consists in forming a prismoidal blank of cartridge metal consisting of copper and zinc, said blank having a maximum diameter not substantially greater than the diameter of the finished cartridge case, and having a cubic contents of metal substantially equal to that of said finished case, heating said blank red-hot, and while redhot, forging said metal between dies into a cylindrical cup-shaped body having a downward-extending cylindrical flange at its bottom and an upward-extending projection on its inner face to form a detonator chamber, then cooling said cup-shaped blank, drawing out the walls of the cup-shaped body to form the walls of the cartridge case and then forcing the downward-extending cylindrica-l flange, outward radially to form the rim of the cartridge case.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature to this specification, in the pres ence of the two witnesses.

HEINRICH EHRHARDT.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM ESSENWEIN, ERNST ANDRE. 

